


Over a Cup of Coffee

by BlueParachutes



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: A hint of Mike and Eleven being cute, Coffee can solve any problem, Cute, Dwelling on the past, F/M, Fluff, Hopper is in love with Joyce, Joyce and Hopper, Joyce and Hopper are too cute ok, Joyce loves hopper, Reminiscing, Steve is their for a moment, Sweet, The kids and Jonathan appear for a minute, hint of regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 20:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13372896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueParachutes/pseuds/BlueParachutes
Summary: Joyce and Hopper still love one another.





	Over a Cup of Coffee

The fall leaves slowly drifted on Joyce’s front porch as their colors graced her with their presence. They twisted slightly in the breeze before they came to a rest at Jim Hopper’s feet. The glow of the sun rested upon his aged face. Although Hopper had grown older, every single one of his lines held a part of their story. The wrinkles on his face only added to his beauty. His skin glistened in the gentle light as he made his way up the chipped driveway. The sun had fallen in love with his skin and had kissed it, in order for it to become a deep shade of gold. His thick eyebrows framed his deep, chocolate eyes that Joyce had fallen in love with many years ago. The sun was just starting to embrace the horizon. The mixed colors of the sky complimented the small ray of light that was peeking through the soft clouds. A sense of tranquility had fallen over the town of Hawkins, Indiana.

Joyce heard a small knock linger against her front door, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. The sun had decided to share the warmth today. Joyce made her way towards the front door and caught her reflection in the small mirror that was hanging above an ordinary table. Joyce quickly adjusted the bangs that were hiding her chestnut eyes. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and reached towards the door handle. Joyce felt a soft, gentle breeze brush against her flushed face.

Joyce softly cleared her throat, “Hopper, what brings you here this morning?”

Jim Hopper smiled at the woman who was standing before him. She looked as beautiful as the evening stars. Hopper loved the way Joyce’s bangs slowly fell over her sympathetic eye. If Hopper could, he would brush them out of her eyes and run his hands along her soft jawline. It would be the perfect opportunity to kiss her enchanting lips that held just the right amount of pink. He would gently lean her head back towards the sky and look down into her captivating eye’s. He would allow the atmosphere to envelop around them, in order from them to be complete with the world.

Hopper was familiar with Joyce’s angelic eyes, but he always found himself getting lost in them. Once he was in the abyss, he could never find a way to escape; however, Hopper never wanted to escape from Joyce’s world. Hopper remembered when he had wrapped his muscle arms around Joyce’s tiny waist. He remembered how she had swayed back and forth under the twinkling lights that glistened over their heads. The music had captivated their souls that night. Joyce had rested her head against the side of his neck. The thought of Joyce’s breath lingering against Hopper’s neck was enough to send chills up his spine. That evening, she was nothing but a deep shade of purple as she twirled on the dance floor. He remembered how she let her shiny, black shoes click against the hardwood floors. Her cherry, red lipstick had remained on Hopper’s cheek the entire night. Hopper was a sucker for reminiscing about a night that would never leave his memory.

Hopper shifted his hand’s that were currently resting inside of his faded pockets, “I just wanted to see how you and Will are holding up? After all, it’s the least I could do. I know that Will is starting his first day of school, and I just wanted to drop something off for him.”

Joyce motioned for Hopper to come inside. She wanted his heat to radiant upon her. Joyce had remembered how Hopper had shielded her with his strong arms after a Demo-dog had fallen out of her fridge. Joyce wished she could have stayed in Hopper’s arms forever. It was the only place in which Joyce belonged. All Joyce wanted was to be protected and loved by somebody. She had always thought that she had missed her change with Hopper.

Joyce remembered how the smoke from her cigarette had danced in the sky around them; however, Hopper never became blurry in her eyes. She could always _see_ him.

“Thank you, Hopper. That’s very sweet of you. I am sure that Will will love whatever you got for him.” Joyce reached for a wooden chair and slowly pulled it forward so Hopper could sit down. “This is the first year that Will is picking out his own outfit for school. I even went out to buy him a new schoolbag and everything. I just want him to have something special. You know? I was always excited when I got a new schoolbag as a kid.”

Hopper could already sense the nerves that were enclosing Joyce’s voice. All Joyce ever did was worry about Will; however, Hopper couldn’t blame her for it. The only thing he had been doing for the past couple of months was worry about Will and the other children. After what had happened, it was no surprise that Joyce never wanted to leave her son's side again.

Hopper handed the small package over to Joyce and she let it rest inside of her hands, “El helped me pick it out. She knows Will a lot better than me. After he opens it, he can put it into his new backpack.”

Joyce loved when people took an interest in her son. Joyce could never understand why Will and his friends were outsiders. His gang of friends had so much to offer the world. If only the world knew how brave they all were. Joyce had let her fingers linger against Hopper's. She desperately wanted to hold his hand.

“I am sure he is going to love it.” Joyce felt her features become soft again, “Where is Eleven anyway?” Joyce paused for a moment,” I mean-El? Is she ok?” Joyce was always worried about the kids. She couldn’t take the thought of anyone of them getting trapped inside of the upside down.

“I just dropped her off at the Wheeler’s house. She wanted to get Mike’s opinion on her new outfit before she went to school. I told her that Mike would like her outfit either way, but I knew it was just an excuse for her to see Mike before school started. I tried to pick an outfit out for her, but she refused my style advice. She’s lost her love for that pink dress and is starting to get into the whole punk thing.”

Joyce felt a smile spread across her soft pink lips, “That is super cute. In all honesty, I’ve always loved the whole punk thing. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for a guy in a leather jacket.”

Joyce's mind began to wonder back to high school. She remembered when Hopper would wait for her by his car. The sound of the final bell ringing was music to her ears. She remembered the way his black leather jacket hung over his sharp shoulders and how his cigarette rested between his fingers. He put Billy Hargrove to shame.

“Maybe Mike will start wearing a leather jacket." Hopper paused for a brief moment. "I am sure that Jonathan will take some nice photos of everyone. It's always nice to have memories. That boy, he really has got an eye. He definitely gets that from you.” Joyce let out a small laugh and Hopper felt the sharp static that had begun to race through his mind. He was hopping that Joyce was thinking about him back in the day. Hopper was hoping that he was still good looking in Joyce’s eyes. He desperately wanted to be wearing that leather jacket again.

“What do you mean by that?” Hopper had definitely sparked Joyce’s interest. In all honesty, Joyce only had her eye on Hopper.

“I remember when you took me to that art museum. You were so excited to see all the paintings, and I remember that one purple painting matched your dress; however, it wasn’t nearly as bold as you were.”

Hopper couldn’t stop reminiscing about the past. That’s all he had been doing lately. “Oh Hopper! Don’t start getting all sentimental on me now. You were the one that was being bold. You took me down to the dock that night, and you tried to get me to jump into the water with you.”

“But you did jump into the water Joyce, and you ruined all your makeup; however, I still thought you looked beaut-”

“Mom!” Will’s voice echoed throughout the kitchen as he stood with his backpack over his shoulder. Joyce's attention quickly switched to her son who was now ready to head to school. Jonathan lingered beside Will and smiled the moment he saw his mother with Jim. Jonathan was starting to get use to his mother’s smile again. The lines beside her eye's became deeper whenever she was around Hopper.

“What is it sweetheart?” Joyce tried to keep her voice calm. She had to remind herself that Will wasn’t in any kind of trouble. He was going to be ok. He was just heading to school.

Will’s eyes lit up like sparklers, “I was wondering if maybe I could get a ride from Steve Harrington?”

As if on cue, Hopper’s attention was directed towards the window that Eleven had thrown a demo-dog through. Hopper watched as Steve Harrington made his way up the old driveway with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and El. Hopper watched as Eleven gently nudged Mike’s side. Mike's eyes squinted as he suddenly began to laugh at sometimes. Eleven looked down at the ground because she was trying to hide the fact that she was gently blushing. They had their arms linked with one another. Mike never wanted to let go of El. He would never leave her again. The young love between Eleven and Mike was something truly beautiful. They were truly meant to be together. Dustin was currently trying to open up a chocolate pudding that he had taken out of his lunchbox. His mother had told him to eat his chocolate pudding after his whole grain sandwich, but Dustin couldn’t wait that long. Who could blame the kid? Everyone loves chocolate pudding. It’s just common knowledge.

Hopper couldn’t believe how much of a _mom_ Steve had become. Sooner or later, he was going to be wearing mom jeans. Hopper knew how much the kids looked up to Steve. He was a good guy to have around, especially when demo-dogs were involved. Harrington sure knew how to swing a baseball bat. Sure, Steve was your average male who loved his hair and wanted to make a statement at the local party, but Steve was also a guy who had a strong heart. He would do anything to protect his children from harm, even if that meant having to face Billy Hargrove and his terrible mullet.

Lucas swung the door open at full strength, “Come on Will, if we leave now, we will have just enough time to grab more pudding at the store. The pudding at the school can’t even come close!”

“But it’s still chocolate pudding! All chocolate pudding tastes good!” Dustin remarked.

As they stood, Eleven and Mike smiled at Will. As always, Will was dressed in a ray of bright colors. The sight of Will was enough to make Mike’s day. He had missed him so much. He couldn’t even put his feelings into words. Even though Will had been back at school for almost a year, they had a lot of catching up to do, starting with a never-ending game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Joyce nodded at Will, “As long as you allow me to pick you up after school.”

“Of course, mom!” Will made his way over to Eleven. Everyone was currently beaming at him, “Do you think you could drive me over to Mike’s after school though? We are having another game night and I really want to go!”

“That sounds like a fun night. Of course you can go, but I am going to be picking you up.”

It wasn’t long until Will and his group of friends were running towards Steve’s old car. Steve had assured Joyce that he would be a safe driver and that he would get them to school on time. Joyce watched as the kids joked with Steve. She was glad that Will was laughing again. Eleven let her hand linger close to Mike's, and within a matter of seconds, Mike was holding onto it.

“He’s going to be ok.” Hoppers voice echoed through Joyce's twirling thoughts, “He is a strong kid, and that is because he has the _strongest_ mother alive. I have never meant another family as strong as the Byers family.”

“Hopper, I can’t thank you enough for all the support you have given this family. You have always been there for me when I needed you.”

Hopper knew that statement wasn’t entirely true. He let his hand linger against Joyce’s shoulder. He just wanted to pull her in close and hold her against his body. He would never let her go. If Hopper could travel back in time to change his mistakes, he would in a heartbeat. He would have told Joyce everything he had ever felt for her. He would have told her that he loved her more than he loved himself. He would have told her that he wanted to wake up beside her every single day. He wanted to make her a cup of warm coffee every morning and he wanted to walk alongside her every single day.

He shouldn’t have let her go that night. He should have fought for her. Everything would have been different. Why did he have to destroy everything that they use to have? He remembered leaving Joyce with her black mascara smeared down her face. Her eyes had begun to rain down tears. It was enough to make the sky jealous. She had screamed for him to come back, but Hopper had walked away from the love of his life. Even though Hopper had protected Will and had rescued her, he could have never rescued her from that moment. Hopper could have spent the rest of his life making it up to Joyce. He still could and Hopper would.

“Hopper there is something I have to tell you."

Hopper smiled because he knew, "Over a cup of coffee.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really love them together.


End file.
